Analyzing readability of communications

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for analyzing readability of a communication intended for a target audience includes: analyzing the communication to determine a first readability measure associated with the communication; determining a second readability measure associated with the target audience based on one or more historical communications previously transmitted or received by the target audience; and generating a readability feedback signal for the communication based on the first readability measure and the second readability measure.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method for analyzing readability of a communication intended for a target audience, the method comprising:
 analyzing the communication to determine a first readability measure associated with the communication, wherein the first readability measure includes a numerical value indicating a reading difficulty level of text in the communication; 
 determining a second readability measure associated with the target audience based on one or more historical communications previously transmitted or received by the target audience; and 
 generating a readability feedback signal for the communication based on the first readability measure and the second readability measure. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience comprises:
 identifying, from the one or more historical communications, a historical communication between an author of the communication and the target audience; 
 determining a primary historical readability measure based on the identified historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience; and 
 determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience based on the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 determining a weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure based on whether the identified historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience was transmitted or received by an additional audience, 
 wherein the determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience is further based on the weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 determining a temporal weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure based on a time at which the identified historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience was transmitted or received by an additional audience, 
 wherein the determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience is further based on the temporal weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 identifying, from the one or more historical communications, a historical communication not between the author of the communication and the target audience; 
 determining a secondary primary historical readability measure based on the identified historical communication not between the author of the communication and the target audience; and 
 determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience based on the secondary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 determining a weighting value associated with the secondary historical readability measure based on whether the identified historical communication not between the author of the communication and the target audience was transmitted or received by an additional audience, 
 wherein the determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience is further based on the weighting value associated with the secondary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the readability feedback signal comprises:
 comparing the first readability measure and the second readability measure; and 
 generating the readability feedback signal based on a result of the comparing. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein generating the readability feedback signal comprises generating a warning signal when the result of the comparison indicates that a difference between the first readability measure and the second readability measure exceeds a threshold. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication comprises at least one of: an electronic text material, an electronic document, a web page document, an electronic message, and an email. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first readability measure and the second readability measure each comprise a numerical value representative of a readability level. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first readability measure and the second readability measure comprise at least one of: a number of syllables in a word and/or sentence, a number of grammatical errors, a number and proportion of misspelled words, a number and proportion of unfamiliar words, a number and proportion of inappropriate or misused words, a number of paragraphs, a number of sentences, a number of words, a number and proportion of foreign language words, a measure of correct and incorrect punctuation, a proportion of white spaces, a proportion of non-textual elements, a measure of writing style, a number of abbreviations used, and a word frequency. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the second readability measure comprises:
 applying at least one of: a Flesch Readability Index, a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, a Fog Index, a Bormuth Grade Level Readability Score, and a Lexile Framework for Reading. 
 
     
     
       13. A system for analyzing readability of a communication intended for a target audience, the system configured to:
 analyze the communication to determine a first readability measure associated with the communication; 
 determine a second readability measure associated with the target audience based on one or more historical communications previously transmitted or received by the target audience, the one or more historical communications comprising at least a historical communication between an author of the communication and the target audience; and 
 generate a readability feedback signal for the communication based on the first readability measure and the second readability measure. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience comprises:
 determining a primary historical readability measure based on the historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience; and 
 determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience based on the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 determining a weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure based on whether the historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience was transmitted or received by an additional audience, 
 wherein the determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience is further based on the weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 14 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 determining a temporal weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure based on a time at which the historical communication between the author of the communication and the target audience was transmitted or received by an additional audience, 
 wherein the determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience is further based on the temporal weighting value associated with the primary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 14 , wherein determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience further comprises:
 identifying, from the one or more historical communications, a historical communication not between the author of the communication and the target audience; 
 determining a secondary primary historical readability measure based on the identified historical communication not between the author of the communication and the target audience; and 
 determining the second readability measure associated with the target audience based on the secondary historical readability measure. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 13 , wherein generating the readability feedback signal comprises:
 comparing the first readability measure and the second readability measure; and 
 generating the readability feedback signal based on a result of the comparing. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 17 , wherein generating the readability feedback signal comprises generating a warning signal when the result of the comparison indicates that a difference between the first readability measure and the second readability measure exceeds a threshold. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the communication comprises at least one of: an electronic text material, an electronic document, a web page document, an electronic message, and an email.